Massac County Family Law Lawyer
Are you in need of an efficient, uncontested divorce in Massac County, Illinois? Contact family law lawyer Andrew Leonard for assistance.
No one likes going to see a lawyer; it is one of the many truths every lawyer has to face. It is often because something has gone wrong, and a solution, or path forward, is required. This is especially painful when it involves matters close to our hearts, like our families. When that happens, it is difficult to untangle the emotional from the legal, and having a lawyer becomes even more important.
In Massac County, the most common family law case is, unfortunately, divorce. Divorce rates are high, sometimes estimated at 50%, and many individuals will get married twice or more. Each divorce, however, is a complicated combination of emotional, financial, and legal untangling of the two lives that have become intertwined. When this goes badly, it can end up in court and take years, but it does not have to, especially with the help of a good lawyer.
Throughout Southern Illinois and parts of Kentucky, such family law work is done by attorneys like Andrew Leonard. He has even made a particular priority of helping couples avoid the worst courtroom battles and instead pursue uncontested divorces. These can be a significantly less expensive and more efficient way of untangling lives and obtaining the fresh start you deserve.
Family Law Attorneys In Action: Uncontested Divorce
The purpose of your family law lawyer is not to drain your resources or to waste your time, though an ineffective one can certainly end up doing both. No, the goal of every principled attorney is to help guide you through the situation you are facing with minimal harm. To reach a resolution while also ensuring that your rights and interests are respected.
Uncontested divorces are a perfect example of this principle in action. While it might make an attorney significantly more money (and certainly drain you a lot more) to shuttle you through months or even years of Family Law Court battles, that is rarely the best outcome for you or your family. Especially your children.
Instead, a good family law attorney will always try to get you an uncontested divorce. In a non-contested divorce, you avoid the costly courtroom battle and instead agree on the details of your divorce. By signing a divorce agreement prepared or reviewed by a qualified lawyer, you also keep better control over the process and its outcome by avoiding having a judge make such important decisions for you.
Call For A Free Assessment Of Your Needs | (270) 817-7221
What Topics Will A Family Law Attorney Ensure Are Covered In An Uncontested Divorce?
While preventing a drawn-out court battle is a vital service provided by family law lawyers like Andrew Leonard, it is far from the only aspect of your divorce they will help you handle. In fact, nearly every aspect of your divorce can benefit from the advice of an attorney, especially when you are trying to prepare for an uncontested divorce.
The Division Of Your Assets And Debts
Every couple accumulates property and wealth, as well as its opposite, debt. Whether your marriage is a few years old or has gone strong for several decades, you’ll have to untangle those finances. This process is called the division of assets, and in Illinois, this does not mean splitting everything 50/50 between you and your ex.
This is because Illinois is an equitable distribution state, which means the court requires that other factors be taken into consideration, such as income-earning potential, current health status, childcare needs, and what each partner has brought to and taken from the marital assets.
As every couple knows, things can get tense when money is involved, and yet, if you want an uncontested divorce, you need to come up with a division of assets that both of you can agree on and that the court will find equitable. A family law lawyer will help you draft and review this agreement and can even help you reach one when the situation becomes tense, for example, with mediation or arbitration.
Child Custody Agreements And Visitation Schedules
While not every couple will have to debate the fate of any minor children they share, those who do often find the topic to be one of the most tense and divisive they face. After all, these are your children, which now you have to share with someone you certainly do not feel about the way you used to.
For many couples in Illinois, this will mean moving for some form of shared custody agreement. Under such an agreement, you and your ex share both the physical and legal custody of your child(ren), agreeing on how much time they spend with each and how important decisions will be taken. A family lawyer can help you prepare and draft this agreement while making sure that both your rights and your child’s best interests are being protected.
Alternatively, if a shared custody situation is not possible or not in the best interest of the child, your family law matters attorney can help you push for full custody. Unless your ex is likely to agree, this might take a trip to court to secure, though your family law lawyer may be able to convince your ex to accept a specific visitation schedule that guarantees their right to see the child while leaving you with principal care, custody, and/or decision making power.
Child Support And Alimony Payments
While future payments might not seem as pressing as the division of assets and the custody of your children, they can impact your life for years and even decades to come. While not all couples will have to deal with child support payments, many will until the children come of age. Almost every couple will have to face alimony, however, as their earning potential and income are rarely equivalent.
However, there is some leeway in setting up both, which your family law lawyer can help you navigate to establish a more favorable outcome. Whether that means paying less, or receiving more, such requirements can even sometimes be used as a means of negotiating and securing a better outcome in another section or aspect of your uncontested divorce agreement.
Call For A Free Assessment Of Your Needs | (270) 817-7221
Call A Massac County Family Law Lawyer Near You
Leonard Law Firm | A Massac County family law lawyer who cares.
Hopefully you will be among the fortunate few who never need a family law lawyer. But if you do, for example, for a divorce, then you should get a family law attorney who will put your interests first. In Metropolis, in Massac County, Illinois, that means Andrew Leonard of the Leonard Law Firm, which has been accumulating several accolades in both Illinois and across the border in Kentucky.
To obtain an appointment to discuss your family law matters with attorney Andrew Leonard, you can get a free assessment of your needs by calling (270) 817-7221 or reaching out online.
